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Adi Sankaracharya's
Maya Panchakam
Translated by S. N. Sastri
Accordingto Advaita Vedanta Brahman is the only Reality. This Brahman appears tous as the universe of multifarious names and forms because of ourignorance of Brahman, in the same way as a rope, when not recognised assuch due to dim light, appears as a snake. This ignorance is also knownby the names 'Nescience' and 'Maya'. In his commentary on theKathopanishad Sri Sankara says: "Alas, how unfathomable, inscrutable,and variegated is this Maya, that every creature, though in realityidentical with the supreme Being and even when taught so, does notgrasp that fact and does not recognise himself as the supreme Self,while, even without being told, he accepts as his Self the not-Self,namely, the aggregate of body and senses and thinks, 'I am the son ofso and so', though these (the body, senses, etc.) are only objects (ofperception, etc.) like pots, etc. Verily it is that they are beingdeluded by the Maya of the supreme Being, such that every one movesagain and again (through the unending cycle of birth and death)".
InVivekachudamani, verse 108, Sri Sankara points out that Maya cannot beknown directly, but can only be inferred from its effects, namely, theworld of names and forms which we perceive. It is the power of thesupreme Being. In verse 109 it is said that Maya cannot be described aseither existent or non-existent or both; it is indescribable(anirvachaniya).
In Mayapanchakam, a work consisting of fivestanzas, Sri Sankara brings out succinctly how Maya makes incompatiblesappear together and shows how it brings about what appears logically tobe impossible.
1. Maya, which is adept at making theimpossible happen, superimposes on me (the Atman) who am in realitypure Consciousness, who am incomparable (because the Atman is the onlyreality and there is therefore nothing else with which it can becompared), who am eternal, partless, unlimited by space, time and otherobjects, in whom there is no differentiation whatsoever, thedistinctions in the form of the world, God and the individual soul.
Note:The world, God and the individual soul appear to be different from oneanother only because of the limiting adjuncts. Intrinsically, there isneither difference nor identity among them, for all the three are inessence Pure Consciousness, homogeneous like a lump of salt. When theunconditioned Self has, as the limiting adjuncts, the body and organswhich are characterized by ignorance, desire and action, it is calledthe transmigrating individual soul. When the limiting adjunct is thepower of eternal and unlimited knowledge, which is Maya, the same Selfis known as God, who is the antaryaamin or Inner Controller of thewhole world. The same Self, free from all limiting adjuncts, is Brahman(Br.up.3.8.12, Sankarabhashya).
2. Maya, which is adept atmaking the impossible happen, makes even those who have mastered theVedas and the Upanishads behave no better than four-legged animals bytempting them with wealth and possessions. What a pity!
3. Maya,which is adept at making the impossible happen, makes the Atman whichis of the nature of Bliss and pure and infinite Consciousness and iswithout a second, identify itself with the body made up of theelements, namely, ether, air etc., and whirl intensely in the ocean oftransmigratory existence.
4. Maya, which is adept at makingthe impossible happen, creates in the pure Bliss-Consciousness which isdevoid of attributes such as caste, creed and the like, the notion of'I'-ness, of looking upon oneself as a Brahmana, Vaisya, etc., as wellas attachment to son, wife and home.
???
5. Alas! Maya, which isadept at making the impossible happen, creates in Brahman which ishomogeneous, without any parts, distinctions such as Brahma, Vishnu andSiva and thereby perplexes even the learned by making them look uponBrahma, Vishnu, and Siva as different from one another.
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Please go to the following Page for downloading this Stotra with Slokas in Devanagari Script:
Maya Panchakam [Zipped PDF File - 45 KB]
ThisPDF file with the slokas in Devanagari script can be read withAdobe/Acrobat Reader. Sanskrit font BRH Devanagari has to be downloadedfrom www.baraha.com for reading on a computer without Adobe/AcrobatReader.
**************************************************************
Mantra Matruka Pushpa Mala Stavam << Home >> Nirguna Manasa Puja
Adi Sankaracharya's
Maya Panchakam
Translated by S. N. Sastri
Accordingto Advaita Vedanta Brahman is the only Reality. This Brahman appears tous as the universe of multifarious names and forms because of ourignorance of Brahman, in the same way as a rope, when not recognised assuch due to dim light, appears as a snake. This ignorance is also knownby the names 'Nescience' and 'Maya'. In his commentary on theKathopanishad Sri Sankara says: "Alas, how unfathomable, inscrutable,and variegated is this Maya, that every creature, though in realityidentical with the supreme Being and even when taught so, does notgrasp that fact and does not recognise himself as the supreme Self,while, even without being told, he accepts as his Self the not-Self,namely, the aggregate of body and senses and thinks, 'I am the son ofso and so', though these (the body, senses, etc.) are only objects (ofperception, etc.) like pots, etc. Verily it is that they are beingdeluded by the Maya of the supreme Being, such that every one movesagain and again (through the unending cycle of birth and death)".
InVivekachudamani, verse 108, Sri Sankara points out that Maya cannot beknown directly, but can only be inferred from its effects, namely, theworld of names and forms which we perceive. It is the power of thesupreme Being. In verse 109 it is said that Maya cannot be described aseither existent or non-existent or both; it is indescribable(anirvachaniya).
In Mayapanchakam, a work consisting of fivestanzas, Sri Sankara brings out succinctly how Maya makes incompatiblesappear together and shows how it brings about what appears logically tobe impossible.
1. Maya, which is adept at making theimpossible happen, superimposes on me (the Atman) who am in realitypure Consciousness, who am incomparable (because the Atman is the onlyreality and there is therefore nothing else with which it can becompared), who am eternal, partless, unlimited by space, time and otherobjects, in whom there is no differentiation whatsoever, thedistinctions in the form of the world, God and the individual soul.
Note:The world, God and the individual soul appear to be different from oneanother only because of the limiting adjuncts. Intrinsically, there isneither difference nor identity among them, for all the three are inessence Pure Consciousness, homogeneous like a lump of salt. When theunconditioned Self has, as the limiting adjuncts, the body and organswhich are characterized by ignorance, desire and action, it is calledthe transmigrating individual soul. When the limiting adjunct is thepower of eternal and unlimited knowledge, which is Maya, the same Selfis known as God, who is the antaryaamin or Inner Controller of thewhole world. The same Self, free from all limiting adjuncts, is Brahman(Br.up.3.8.12, Sankarabhashya).
2. Maya, which is adept atmaking the impossible happen, makes even those who have mastered theVedas and the Upanishads behave no better than four-legged animals bytempting them with wealth and possessions. What a pity!
3. Maya,which is adept at making the impossible happen, makes the Atman whichis of the nature of Bliss and pure and infinite Consciousness and iswithout a second, identify itself with the body made up of theelements, namely, ether, air etc., and whirl intensely in the ocean oftransmigratory existence.
4. Maya, which is adept at makingthe impossible happen, creates in the pure Bliss-Consciousness which isdevoid of attributes such as caste, creed and the like, the notion of'I'-ness, of looking upon oneself as a Brahmana, Vaisya, etc., as wellas attachment to son, wife and home.
???
5. Alas! Maya, which isadept at making the impossible happen, creates in Brahman which ishomogeneous, without any parts, distinctions such as Brahma, Vishnu andSiva and thereby perplexes even the learned by making them look uponBrahma, Vishnu, and Siva as different from one another.
**************************************************************
Please go to the following Page for downloading this Stotra with Slokas in Devanagari Script:
Maya Panchakam [Zipped PDF File - 45 KB]
ThisPDF file with the slokas in Devanagari script can be read withAdobe/Acrobat Reader. Sanskrit font BRH Devanagari has to be downloadedfrom www.baraha.com for reading on a computer without Adobe/AcrobatReader.
**************************************************************
Mantra Matruka Pushpa Mala Stavam << Home >> Nirguna Manasa Puja
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